Equal Exchange
Self-reported* Self-reported. Equal Exchange is a small, independent business that says it buys directly from named farms. That usually means better prices for farmers, but it hasn't published what it pays or any independent checks, and there's no way yet to confirm that pay reaches the farm workers who pick the crop. If a labour problem is confirmed, its grade drops to Poor. Why we allow this
Equal Exchange is a small, independent business built around buying directly from named farms, which usually means better prices for farmers. It hasn't published what it pays or any independent checks, so this rests on its own word.
Last researched 8 October 2026
Heading in the right direction. Workers are paid enough to live on, or the company is certified as working towards it, and there are no serious warning signs. One piece is still unproven. What this grade means
Good: 2 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 1
- Hidden or unaudited supply chain (no certification or documentation, or major production in countries with poor worker rights without independent audits)
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peru 20% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Guatemala 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico 15% | Some protections | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras 15% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| DR Congo 15% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Coffee is on the US Department of Labor child or forced labour list for over a dozen countries, and farm-gate prices often fall below a living income. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Certified organic: Organic certification has no labour criteria beyond basics.
- Worker or farmer owned
- Actively empowers workers (ownership, worker committees, union agreements, training)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- Publishes supplier list
- Built around direct trade with named farms or producers
- Small, independent business built around direct trade with named farms. Graded Almost good on its own word, as it hasn't published prices or independent checks. Any confirmed labour problem would move it to Poor.
Equal Exchange is a US worker co-operative (about 125 staff, around 80% of them member-owners, with six of eight board seats held by workers and a top-to-bottom pay ratio under 5:1) that buys coffee, tea, cocoa and other crops from more than 40 small-farmer co-operatives, and it publishes profiles of many of them by name and country, such as ACOPAGRO, Norandino and Oro Verde in Peru and COMSA in Honduras. It calls its products 'fairly traded' or 'authentic fair trade' and says it pays a guaranteed minimum price above market on long-term contracts with advance credit, but it does not publish the prices it pays or the share of each crop from each country. Its coffee was once certified under the farmer-owned Small Producers' Symbol and Fair for Life, but its current shop pages show only organ
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Current product pages show no Fairtrade, Fair Trade USA or Fair for Life mark, and a 2025 co-op grocer guide confirms its packs carry none of them; it uses its own 'authentic fair trade' claim. View ↗ |
| World Fair Trade Organization | Unclear | A fair trade retailer describes it as a WFTO member, but no current WFTO member page for the US co-op was found. View ↗ |
| B Corp directory | Unclear | No B Corp listing for the US co-op appeared in searches of the directory. View ↗ |
| Chocolate Scorecard | Unclear | No Chocolate Scorecard rating for Equal Exchange appeared on the current scorecard pages. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Coffee from several of its sourcing countries (Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico) is on the US child labour list; Peru is not. View ↗ |
| Wikidata | Unclear | Wikipedia describes it as a worker-owned co-operative with 126 employees; Wikidata was not checked directly. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | Appears on BHRRC as the author of an open letter criticising another roaster's fair trade claims; no allegations against Equal Exchange appeared in searches. View ↗ |
Sources (12)
- Case study: Equal Exchange (Rutgers Employee Ownership Hub, 2026) · archived copy · Worker co-operative with about 125 employees, about 100 (80%) of them members in 2025; worker-owners hold six of eight board seats; pay ratio under 5:1; revenue $74.3m in 2025; long-term contracts at
- Equal Exchange: Our Mission · archived copy · Worker co-op with one vote per worker-owner; sources from over 40 small farmer organisations; works directly with farmer co-operatives; names ACOPAGRO (Peru)
- Equal Exchange shop: FAQs · archived copy · Over 98% of coffee by volume is certified organic by Oregon Tilth; describes products as fair trade without naming a fair trade certifier
- Equal Exchange Fairly Traded Organic Decaf Coffee (product page) · archived copy · Product page lists organic (Oregon Tilth, USDA Organic) and kosher (Orthodox Union) certification only; described as 'fairly traded' with no fair trade certification mark
- Fair Trade, Untangled: A Look Behind the Labels (Willy Street Co-op Reader, May 2025) · archived copy · Equal Exchange is known for its fair trade commitment but its products carry none of the Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade America or Fair for Life marks
- Equal Exchange shop: coffee · archived copy · Single-origin coffees from Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and the Congo; COMSA co-op in Honduras pictured
- Equal Exchange Resource Center: partner profiles tagged Peru · archived copy · Publishes named partner profiles by country, e.g. Oro Verde, El Quinacho, APROSAROCH, APANS and ACOPAGRO (cacao), Norandino (coffee) and AVACH and Río y Valle (bananas) in Peru
- Equal Exchange Resource Center: ACOPAGRO partner profile · archived copy · Profile of the Peruvian cacao co-op that supplies its chocolate bars, chips and hot chocolate; no prices stated
- Fair Trade Talking Points (Equal Exchange Resource Center) · archived copy · Works with over 40 small farmer co-operatives; pays a guaranteed minimum price above the market price; no price figures given
- Equal Exchange: Farmer Partners · archived copy · Describes the Small Producer Symbol as the first farmer-owned fair trade certification; names Cooperativa José Gabriel Condorcanquí (Peru)
- Consumer group Fair World Project rates the buying practices of 19 US roasters (Daily Coffee News, 2014) · archived copy · In 2014 Equal Exchange received five stars; it prioritised Small Producer Symbol coffee and certified the rest under Fair for Life (IMO)
- Equal Exchange Organic Breakfast Blend (Hannaford) · archived copy · Retailer lists the coffee as 'fair trade and social certified by IMO' and organic; co-op partners CIRSA (Chiapas, Mexico) and COCLA (Peru)
Last researched 8 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.